But it may be a mistake to depend too much on multinational corporations keeping liberalism alive in the age of Trump. For big corporations to take these issues seriously, they have to be more afraid of a backlash from liberals than from conservatives. Even though Trump won partly on a narrative of all-powerful liberal political correctness, the last year has shown that companies have more to fear from offences against right-wing political correctness: a liberal backlash can be unpleasant, but a conservative backlash does more damage.

Meanwhile, liberal backlash, while it can work at a small or local level, has little effect on big corporate productions. There was much online outrage this year over Disney’s Doctor Strange replacing an Asian character with a white character, and the backlash got enough press attention that people involved with the film felt it necessary to respond. But the movie was a big success, and many reviewers didn’t even mention the revisionist casting. Liberal outrage sometimes gets more recognition in the press, in part because many journalists are more familiar with liberal Twitter accounts. But multinationals haven’t been given much reason to fear its effect on profits, at least compared to conservative outrage.

Which doesn’t mean these companies are going to suddenly become hard-right organs, any more than they were truly liberal in the Obama era. It just means that it could be dangerous to put too much faith in their ability to be a vehicle for U.S. liberalism. For the next two years at least, U.S. liberals will have very little power at the political level, and the right may have outdone them at the art of boycotts and backlashes. Until they can fix one or both of those problems, companies may pay more attention to complaints from the right. Because ultimately the heads of these companies aren’t really liberal or conservative. What they believe in is not getting into trouble or losing money.

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Why corporations fear conservatives more than liberals

Well get used to it. This is capitalism where the bottom line rules. You say :Because ultimately the heads of these companies aren’t really liberal or conservative. What they believe in is not getting into trouble or losing money.” I will point out the Chapman Ice cream story. The company continued to pay their employees while their burnt out factory was being rebuilt. Oops that was run by a family not shareholders.

We’ll leave aside the writers lame attempt to equate conservatism with racism. That’s just one of those low intellect jabs. The crux of this is really quite simple. In order to have money to spend, people of normal means must live by conservative principles. It becomes a given that most liberal progressivism is so much vapourware, and people are increasingly fed up with it being shoved down our throats. We can’t tell the government to shove their liberalism up their ass. Well, we can. It is a free country. But, we don’t get to stick them where it hurts. Mind you, a little Round-Up on the neighborly CRA employee’s lawn goes a long way. However, if big companies like Kellogg’s want to embrace liberalism, go right ahead, but you won’t do it with our money.
If we don’t want to buy their Corn Flakes, how they gonna stop us? Freedom is kinda neat that way, ain’t it?

Well said and so true. The last 8 years have been dreadful, but I have voted with my money. It gives me a small sense of doing something. Kelloggs is now out of my family of 5 home and I have not been to Target since they banned Christmas bell ringers. I don’t decide to boycott lightly. Many other causes have come and gone, like celebrities I cannot stand who slash and burn conservatives when they are not acting. I still will see a movie they are in if it is good, but it does take away from it for me.

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